Tugboat Explosion Kills 7 Off Qatar

Nearly a week ago, 7 people were killed off Qatar when an offshore LNG buoy terminal exploded unexpectedly. Tugboat 53, which is part of the Svitzer/Nakilat fleet in Qatar, was conducting maintenance on the buoy at the time of the incident.

No official statement has been released, however in a phone call today with Svitzer’s Head of Communications, Jens Viby Mogensen, he confirmed the incident had occurred and that a root cause analysis into the incident was currently underway.

Sources indicate the vessel is in Ras Laffan Port and only one of the crew escaped the blast unharmed.